


i'm a sucker for you

by girlsonthetv



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Edelgard and Dorothea are also vampires, Human Hubert von Vestra, M/M, Post-Timeskip, Vampire Ferdinand von Aegir, mentioned byleth/manuela
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21151037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsonthetv/pseuds/girlsonthetv
Summary: Ferdinand has not fed in a while, and it's wearing both Ferdinand and Hubert thin.





	i'm a sucker for you

The war machine was one in perpetual motion, even as it ground down those keeping it running. Ferdinand and Hubert, as Edelgard's left and right hands, were almost as exhausted as the emperor herself as every day something new came up. A new round of drills, another meeting, another battle, another shipment of supplies to be signed off on. Neither of them minded being constantly busy, having been raised on the notion that idle hands were anathema to a strong Empire. However, one of them was only human, the other only undead, and the ration program had not been kind to either. 

Before the war, Ferdinand would simply go into town every so often and stop by an inn that told no lies if you asked no questions for his doses of blood. Now, with his work taking up every spare minute he could manage to snatch, he couldn't have made it into the town outside Garreg Mach even if there was a town to make it to. His semi-starvation had begun to show on his body, though he bore it with a smile. "I resemble you more and more by the day, my dear." Ferdinand would joke to Hubert as he observed the pallor of his skin, his reddening irises. Without blood, he could not keep up the glamour that allowed him to seem human on the surface. 

Hubert, despite his best efforts to pretend otherwise, was a human with a heart; it pumped blood for him on a regular basis, and every time he held his lover's hand, he couldn't help but think about it. They were certainly close enough - why didn't Ferdinand just bite his neck like on the cover of a trashy serial and be revitalized? Surely Ferdinand knew the idea wouldn't be utterly repulsive to him. Far from it. 

On the way to the war room for yet another strategy meeting, Hubert decides to try and carefully breach the subject. “Ferdinand, forgive me if this is impolite to ask, but... how long has it been since you’ve eaten?” 

“Oh, that is not impolite.” Ferdinand tucks a stray lock of ginger hair behind his ear; despite his overall unwell look, his hair is still perfect. “It has been about a month. I am... a bit peckish, but it is nothing I cannot deal with. War has made it difficult to simply head to town and get something to eat, as it were.” 

“Is it improper to ask someone close to you if you could feed from them?” 

Ferdinand suddenly stopped walking and turned to him, arms crossed. "Hubert, if you are implying I should simply feed on you, I will not do that. Believe me, I have thought about it." He said as Hubert tried to interject. 

"Later into our relationship, after we are engaged, I would very much like to feed on you." Oh, if Ferdinand only knew how the unconscious sliding out of his fangs sets Hubert's pulse racing. "But not right now. I do not want people to think of you as simply... my blood doll." Hubert is utterly clueless regarding vampire politics, and he assumes the unfamiliar term "blood doll" has something to do with them, that deadly decadent web of intrigue stretching out beneath Enbarr. 

"I understand. I wish I could help you, Ferdinand." Hubert murmurs under his breath. He brings Ferdinand's hand to his lips and kisses the knuckles, makes Ferdinand blush. 

"To tell you the truth, just being next to you makes me feel a bit better." Ferdinand lets his hand fall, still holding Hubert's, as they entered the war room.

"If you're sure." Hubert tries to hide the disappointment in his voice. 

Weeks pass, with Ferdinand looking sicker by the day, when Hubert decides enough is enough. The night is young and the sky is as purple as a bruise when Hubert approaches Dorothea in the dining hall, reading a book with a rich red cover. "Dorothea."

"Good morning to you too." She yawns and bats her lashes like a schoolgirl. "What can I do for you, Hubie?" 

Hubert considers asking her not to call him that before deciding it isn't worth the bother, and instead comes right out with it. "You are a vampire."

"That I am...?" Dorothea's eyebrow slowly goes up as Hubert chooses his next words very carefully.

"How do I convince Ferdinand that it is alright for him to drain my blood?" 

Dorothea throws her head back and laughs, a squeaky sound like a colony of bats. She laughs and laughs and laughs and Hubert wonders if it would have been less embarrassing to ask Edelgard. Just when he begins to wonder if someone will poke their head in and ask what's going on, Dorothea stops laughing with a gasp, wipes her eyes theatrically, and turns to him with a glittering expression. "Oh, Hubie dear. I assume you came to me thinking this was a matter of vampire etiquette?" Hubert nods mutely. 

"No, darling. Ferdie is simply an insufferable gentleman. He doesn't want to feed from you, because he loves you, and he's one of those vamps who's got it in his head that it will taint the love, somehow. Did he mention blood dolls at all?" Hubert nods. Dorothea rolls her eyes and chuckles. "That word's only ever used by ancient vampires a sunbeam away from true death. No one worth caring about will judge either of you, especially given the war. You've just got to tell him what it is you want." 

Hubert grits his teeth. He'd thought of that, of course, but he didn't want Ferdinand to think he was some kind of masochistic pervert. He wanted Ferdinand to feed on him if it would make him feel better. Though, paradoxically, if he thought of Ferdinand feeding on anyone else, he felt a stab of jealousy. He wanted to be the one to satisfy him - _exactly the kind of thought a pervert would have,_ he admonishes himself. He sighs harshly and stabs at his breakfast. Loving and being loved was far more complicated than it had the right to be. 

As Ferdinand enters the dining hall, perking up marginally at the sight of them, Hubert's heart aches to look at him. His skin was pale and dull, there were deep shadows under his eyes, and he looked as if a faint breeze would knock him over. He walks quickly over to them regardless, gently kissing Hubert's cheek with cold lips. "Hubert, dear, you should go to bed." 

"It's hardly evening, Ferdinand." Hubert puts a bracing arm around Ferdinand's waist, even though if he were to faint Hubert would likely go down with him, considering their differences in strength. "Besides, there's a strategy meeting this evening. After that, I promise you I will try to get some sleep." 

“Oh, yes. Of course. I had forgotten.” A self-conscious little laugh, a hand placed behind Hubert's head, looking up at him so sweetly. "You promise?" 

"I promise." A brief, chaste kiss where Ferdinand's fangs briefly brush against Hubert's bottom lip, making them both shudder and hope desperately that Dorothea didn’t notice. 

It appeared at first that she didn't, as she simply smiled and went back to her book. Ferdinand sinks into his chair like it's a lifeboat in the middle of tumultuous seas, and Hubert makes his own cup of coffee. Ferdinand watches him drink it, enchanted as he always was by the rhythms of Hubert's mortal body. As Ferdinand stands up to leave and Hubert makes to follow, Dorothea catches him by the sleeve with a strength that might have torn it had she been less careful. 

"Do communicate with him soon, yes? The way he was looking at you, he'll crumble into dust before being the one to ask first." 

Hubert yanks his sleeve away as Dorothea giggles, and does not storm out, because he is an adult. However, he does move quickly in a swirl of coats that could be described as something like that. 

/

After the strategy meeting, Ferdinand feels unexpectedly worked up, which definitely has nothing to do with the way Hubert has his sleeves rolled up to expose his pale wrists in the war room stuffy with summer heat. "Edelgard!" He declares as she stands up from her seat at the head of the table. "Spar with me! We must keep our skills sharp, after all!" 

Edelgard looks about to refuse, as was her reflex, but then stops to actually consider his words. "Why not. I'll meet you at the training grounds." 

Hubert gave him a confused look - Ferdinand didn't blame him, he had looked and felt dead on his feet when he had started his day - but Ferdinand was already out the door. If he spent one more minute around Hubert and his exposed wrists he might end up doing something he would regret very much. 

When Hubert had expressed a desire to "help him", his tone rough, his lips surprisingly soft on the back of his hand, a mix of emotions he'd never felt before had risen in his belly; hours later, he still felt their heat whenever he looked Hubert's way. He was hesitant even to let himself think about feeding on Hubert, for fear it would show on his face how badly he wanted it. The only thing for it was to spend some time away from him, get his thoughts in order; but eventually, he would have to return to their bed, and stare at the back of Hubert's neck while he breathed slow and easy. These feelings had made it nearly impossible for Ferdinand to get any sleep himself. The only thing for it was to exhaust himself so thoroughly that he had to fall asleep. 

When Edelgard arrives, Ferdinand already has his lance in his hand, expression fierce, and Edelgard knows better than to ask him what was going on. She, too, preferred to sweat out a bad mood. As their weapons clashed, Edelgard blocking Ferdinand's quick stabs with his lance with barely a thought, her brow furrowed. These sparring bouts of theirs were as regular as the rise and fall of the moon, and the outcome of her as the winner easily predicted, but Ferdinand could usually put up a far better fight than this. After the fifth barely-adequate parry, Edelgard makes the sign for time-out. 

Ferdinand's chest is already heaving, even though they haven't even been sparring for a round. "What... what is the matter? Do I already have you on the ropes?!" 

"No." Edelgard said flatly. "You haven't fed."

Ferdinand's shoulders drooped. "No... I have not."

Edelgard's eyebrow raised in an expression of mixed confusion and frustration. "And Hubert...?"

"Has offered to let me feed on him, but..." Ferdinand sank to the ground, staring at the sandy floor. "You are a vampire as well! You understand what is wrong with that. So soon into our courtship..."

"No, I don't." Ferdinand looks up at Edelgard, aghast, hand to his breast like the heroine of a twopenny novel. "Ferdinand, we are at war. Everything moves faster, simply out of necessity. No one worth caring about would judge you for feeding on your lover at a time when blood - edible blood - is so difficult to come by." Edelgard crouches down beside him, looking a bit silly in her bulky red armor. 

"That is not the only thing." Ferdinand whispers, mortified. 

"What is the other thing, then?" 

"It feels... predatory." Ferdinand mumbles. "To want him so badly, so soon."

Staring at the ground as he is, Ferdinand can't see Edelgard looking incredibly out of her depth. However, he feels her hand on his shoulder, ready to pull away at the slightest sign of displeasure from Ferdinand. "...Ferdinand, that isn't predatory." She says, her hand making an aborted sort of stroking motion. "You said he wanted it, right? For you to feed on him?" Ferdinand nods silently. "Then how would it be predatory? That's an oxymoron. If you want honesty, I think you're being a bit silly." 

Ferdinand laughs weakly. "When have you ever known me to want anything other than honesty?" 

"Never." Ferdinand looks up at Edelgard to see a faint smile on her face. 

Ferdinand stands up and brushes himself off. "Thank you very much, Edelgard. I must say, I never expected to be the one receiving advice from my emperor."

A soft laugh. "You're welcome. You are a key part of our army. It wouldn't do for you to be your own undoing." Edelgard was avoiding his eyes as she rose, but there was a hint of warmth in her voice, the first breath of spring at the end of winter. "Now, as the Emperor of the Adrestian Empire, I order you to go get some rest." 

"But we didn't finish our - " Ferdinand pleads before Edelgard cuts him off. 

"We will finish our match at a later date. It isn't a proper victory if the opponent isn't at their fighting best." Edelgard takes his lance from him with barely any effort at all and points him out the door. Ferdinand slinks out, but doesn't feel defeated. 

/

Hubert is reading the same sentence in his book for the fifth time when there's a knock at his door. He opens it to see Ferdinand, looking a little sheepish. "I apologize for... Well. Jumping down your throat this morning. I know you meant well." 

Hubert blinks. "It's alright." 

They stand there for a moment before Ferdinand clears his throat. "Would you mind if I came in?" 

Hubert steps aside in wordless permission. Ferdinand usually walks into a room and takes charge of it, but he looks small and shy in the middle of Hubert's room, unsure of what to do with his hands. Hubert feels the now-familiar stirring of _oh, I'm in love._ He pulls out his desk chair for Ferdinand to sit in; Ferdinand sits down as if it were a throne. "Such a gentleman." 

Hubert is thankful to be standing behind Ferdinand so he couldn't see his brief, faint blush. "Might I ask why you came?" 

“You may.” Ferdinand crosses one leg over the other and stares at the floor pensively. “Let us not dance around the topic too much, or I fear I will lose my nerve. Do you still wish for me to feed on you?” 

Blood roars in Hubert’s ears. “Of course, yes.” 

Ferdinand chuckles. “Really, I never should have doubted it.”

“I agree.” Hubert smiles wryly. 

“Come sit on my lap, then.” Ferdinand uncrosses his legs and Hubert sits, feeling the old chair creak and wondering if this was perhaps the best position. “You are so tall.” Ferdinand muttered. “Goodness gracious.” He wouldn’t be able to reach his neck this way. 

“If I may...” Hubert takes one of Ferdinand’s hands in both of his and guides him to his bed, just as plain as everything else in the room. “Forgive me if I am too forward... it is simply that this might be easier.” 

“No, it would be.” Ferdinand sits down on Hubert’s bed, and Hubert sits next to him. 

“Ferdinand, you’re trembling.” Hubert threads his fingers carefully, slowly, through his lover’s hair, trying to soothe, somewhat succeeding. Ferdinand closes his eyes at the touch and sighs shakily. 

“You can still back out. It will hurt at first, quite intensely - “ 

“Ferdinand.” Hubert takes him by the sides of the face and looks into his eyes. “I don’t care how much it will hurt. I want to feed you.” 

Ferdinand’s pupils dilate, and without another word he throws his arms around him and bites down on the side of Hubert’s neck. Bright pain bursts there, and Hubert hisses, but as soon as the sound leaves him the pain begins to fade to a warm, drowsy sensation. It reminded him of the herbs Professor Manuela had them chew before she set a broken bone. The pain was still there, but seemed entirely unimportant. Distantly, he heard a soft, muffled moan that might have been Ferdinand, but he couldn't bring himself to care much about anything beyond this all-consuming, soothing numbness. 

Time passed - it might have been minutes, it might have been hours - before Ferdinand withdrew his fangs with a wet, suction-like noise. His eyes were half-closed, his cheeks flushed, his mouth smeared with Hubert's blood. He looked nothing short of blissful. He looked a picture, and Hubert told him so. 

Ferdinand blushes. "I do not." He plucked a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth clean. He was already beginning to look more human, his eyes fading back to their usual soft brown rather than scarlet red, his skin pink and healthy. "Thank you very much, Hubert. I feel... wonderful." 

"It was quite literally the least I could do." Hubert draws him in for a kiss, tastes iron and salt but doesn't pull away. Objectively, it's a bit gross, but he likes it anyway, because it's Ferdinand. "If you ever find yourself craving again, just tell me." 

"I shall. Oh, but your collar is in such a state, now." Hubert looks down to see part of his starched white collar is indeed soaked through in his own blood. "It is all my fault, pouncing on you like an animal and not even giving you the chance - "

"It is only a shirt, Ferdinand. I'll change before going to the infirmary to have the wound looked at." Hubert begins to undo the clasps of his jacket, and Ferdinand stands up and turns smartly on his heel to give Hubert some privacy. Biting a lover's neck was one thing; seeing them partway undressed was yet another. 

Ferdinand walks Hubert to the infirmary as gentlemen do, stopping in the doorway for a kiss before Ferdinand is called away for something or other. Linhardt, having been cajoled into infirmary duty for the evening so Professors Manuela and Byleth could go on a date, takes one look at the marks on Hubert's neck and snorts. 

"Thank you for wiping the wound down before coming. Very courteous of you." A hand to his neck and the marks are gone as soon as they appeared. "If you'd like, I could teach you a bit of healing magic so you don't have to come all the way upstairs every time." 

"That... would be very useful. Thank you, Linhardt." 

"This isn't for you. This is for me. I hate looking at those holes in people's necks." Linhardt shudders. "But you are welcome. Take care of yourself, Hubert; and tell Ferdinand I said hello." 

Hubert waves goodbye, already thinking of the next time Ferdinand will come to his room.

**Author's Note:**

> happy halloween baby! i love vampires and hubertnand lends itself ridiculously well to vampire aus. validation is always appreciated if you liked it


End file.
